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Introducing Tenji

Hey guys, well I’m 24 years old, born and bread in Brisneyland, I’ve been djing for more than three years now and have loved every second of it. Started out rockin’ almost weekly house parties back in the day which was great for the experience, then it all kind of escalated from there. I’ve won a few DJ comps along the way too which really helped with exposure.

How were you introduced to the world of Dj’ing and when did you get behind your first set of decks?

Haha, it wasn’t until a mate from work invited me over for kick-ons one night where he showed me what “decks” were… They were these old ratty cd players and a mixer with bass/treble EQ’s and a crossfader. To this day, the biggest moment of my life was hearing those two hip-hop tracks play at the same time in his headphones. Completely out of time and sounding absolutely hideous, I turned to my mate and said, “This is what I’ll be doing for the rest of my life”. At the time, I’m sure he put it down to the intoxicants we were on, but the very next day I bought my first set of decks, and haven’t looked back since.

What experience do you have in the Brisbane Music Scene and what’s coming up next for you?

Well I’ve just returned home from a twelve-month stint on the Sunshine Coast playing regularly at The Rolling Rock as well as 240V where I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to support some big names in Tommy Trash, Sam La More and Snobscrilla which as you could imagine, got pretty fucking loose for all involved. Before I moved though, I held weekly residencies at Uber, Fringe Bar, Anarchy and Elysium, which were a lot of fun and am definitely keen to get amongst again, given the chance. As for what’s coming up next, I start my new residency at Unity next week, which I’m sure will be plenty of fun. The last time I played there things quite literally got out of control, so I’m sure this time will be no different. Then in two weeks time on the 24th of June I’m supporting the always brilliant, Sampology, up at the Kings Beach Tavern, which I am jumping out of my skin in anticipation for. I also have a few things in the pipeline, so definitely stay tuned… The party’s only just begun!

If someone asked to decribe your Style in three words what would it be?

No. Boring. Bits.

Any favorite Tracks at the moment?

So many from so many genres… here is one from each.

Tom Novy, Michael Marshall – Your Body (Lissat & Voltaxx Remix)

LowKiss, Morgan Belbruno – Hey Cutie (Ryan Riback Remix)

Mush, Mush – Bassjackers (Original Mix)

Miike Snow – Silvia (Robotberget Remix)

Bombs Away – Swagger (Krafty Kuts Re-Rub)

CyberPunkers – Cabala (Melodic Version)

Dub Cartel – Give Me What I Want (Helicopter Showdown Remix)

Producing, what are you working on at the moment and can you give us a bit of insight on what you’re using?

At the moment I’m working on a few different commercial type mash ups and bootlegs. I’m a relative newcomer to the world of production so I’m starting out where I think I need to, to get to where I’m going, and I think the commercial house genre is one that I’m very familiar with, so is a good way to build up some man hours, and learn the cognitive processes in the easiest way possible. I’m running Logic 9 and at this stage I can’t really see myself using anything else. I mucked around with Ableton for a couple of years, finding it all to be extremely confusing and frustrating, only to sit down with Logic and accomplish twice as much in a single day, as my entire history with Ableton. Logic is a language I understand.

Are there any artists that you look up to?

How much time you got? Okay, well on an international scale, would have to be Wolfgang Gartner. I’ve gone off his music somewhat of late, but its more the background that he’s come from, I find it quite similar to mine, only on a much larger scale. A couple of local artists I look up to are definitely Mitch and Tomy from the DJ/Production duo, Slop Rock. Not only are they writing some amazing tunes, they’ve also started up their own record label, and are now signing some of the best producers in Brisbane and from across the globe. So in a business sense, I definitely draw inspiration from what they are doing for both themselves, and for the Brisbane scene.

Other than yourself, who would you say to look out for in the Brisbane scene?

Tough question, so much talent… I’d have to go with any of the Rage Crew guys, they are shredding upstairs at Family right now. But if I had to choose one, I’d go with Olie. I played with him at fringe bar quite a few times, kid has ridiculous amounts of talent, and it’s fantastic to see that he’s getting some big recognition for a lot of hard work. Oh, keep your eyes on Kayli too, just heard his Dubthugs mixtape for Switch Digital… Let’s just say I should probably change these pants.

Favorite/Funniest Club memory that you have experienced so far?

Oh dear, there have been so many, so few of them I can actually remember… The one that always comes to mind was watching Afrojack drop his “Watcha Say” remix (unreleased at the time) at Family for the Ministry of Sound ‘Jacked’ tour a couple of years ago. I had the best view in the house, being right behind the decks, overlooking a club with the most energy I still to this day, have ever seen. Supported by Hardwell and my hero, Wolfgang Gartner, it was the best show I’ve ever been to. Oh, and if you search that night on youtube, you’ll find my video of it, or the same one that MOS stole off me haha, but lets save that story for another time!

Finally when is the next gig we can see you spinning at ?

I’ll be supporting Sampology @ The Kings Beach Tavern on Friday the 24th of June. Tickets are $20 from oztix.com